3 ⭐️

I have been wrestling with this review. I have loved Alexis Hall and the books they write and the queer romances that we so need. I do not think this book is a romance book. To me this is a contemporary LGBTQ2S+ fiction with a romance subplot.

Majority of this book is about Paris and his journey to getting help and recognizing that he has anxiety. As someone who has anxiety at times this book was really hard to read. It felt like being in my headspace and I read to escape my headspace that this book was hard to get through.


Okay - now for my issues with this book:
1. Tariq was kind of a jerk. The way that he treated Paris by mocking the way he dressed and the way Paris was hard on himself was mean and I honestly have no idea how this couple would have made it.

2. The tweets making fun of Paris pre everyone knowing he has anxiety were brutal. I know people can be mean behind a screen but as someone who suffers from anxiety it felt just wrong and yucky to keep pushing on the narrative that Paris is somehow this whiny, crying baby. I personally just feel like it continues to add to the stereotypes about us and it really added zero benefit to the entire book to have any of the tweets in there.

3. I wish we got to see more or Paris getting help sooner and then a Build to a relationship with Tariq. How this book is written now I honestly do not believe they can be a Couple.

More a 3.5⭐

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble is my first Alexis Hall book, though I have a few in my TBR, and wow, was it a ride. When reading the synopsis, Paris seemed like a quirky guy who catches the interest early on of another contestant, Tariq, and about their relationship. In reality it was definitely more than that. It was definitely more about Paris and his relationship with himself, or at least understanding himself better, without getting into spoilers.

I remember full on laughing out loud within the first five pages, especially due to Morag, his housemate, who is the one that entered him into the competition. The banter between them was fantastic, along with some of the secondary characters. Other laugh out loud moments involved Tariq's side of the world, who may have the coolest dad. It's what probably kept me going because partway through the novel it started to get really repetitive for me, in terms of Paris'behaviour, words and actions, and I am not the type to typically DNF any book, so I persisted but I almost hit that point because Paris was definitely grating on my nerves. In the end, I still don't know if I like him all that much but was glad to see his improvement and made me root for him and Tariq. I also appreciate that the author was trying to match the character with the writing style, and as the reader you have to experience the bottom with the character before you can get back up. It was just so annoying at times, especially when other parts of the book sparkle so much. All in all, I enjoyed it, and wished there was a bit more sparkle even while the crumbling was happening.
Excuse me while I go try out the biscuits roses de Reims.

This book is a wonderful romance! People who enjoyed this author’s other books will love it but so will many others. It has a wide and lovable cast of characters which may be confusing for some but all together brings it to be a great ensemble piece!

Alexis Hall is on my top 10 go to authors list. There is so much depth to everything he writes. I love this British bake off inspired universe where he has created some of his best supporting characters! Our protagonist Paris is a sweet, adorable and supremely annoying character who is dealing with generalized anxiety. As somebody who also deals with anxiety I felt very represented and understand how you’re anxiety can affect your relationships. Tariq is wonderful without being too perfect. The way these two characters relate to each other and learn how to build a relationship with one another was beautiful to read. As with everything Alexis Hall writes, I completely recommend this book to everybody!

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In true Alexis Hall fashion, Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble is a wonderfully crafted novel that will make you laugh, cry, swoon, etc all in the space of a few pages. Please check the trigger warnings in the beginning of the book before proceeding. Paris is perhaps the biggest hot mess that starred in any book I've read so far, and yet he totally owns it. His character development throughout the novel shows sincerity and an inherent sense of goodness in him, that an outsider might not expect from a privileged wealthy white London man. On Bake Expectations, the fictional reality baking competition readers were first introduced to in Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, Paris accidentally finds himself competing. With his mind a jumble of emotions, a cute boy showing an interest in him, and a string of good luck in the beginning, Paris just knows it is all about to crumble! I loved this book and if you've read anything else by Alexis Hall, I highly recommend checking this one out!

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble is the second in Alexis Hall's Winner Bakes All series. You do not need to read the first book in the series to read this one, there are some recurring characters and a couple of callbacks, but overall it doesn't affect this story.

This is marketed as a romance, but the romance elements definitely take a back seat to Paris's mental health journey. As a person with GAD, I found that the mental health aspects were thoughtful and well executed, but it could be triggering for others, so be careful and only read if you're in a place where you can.

The romance boped between being sweet and unhealthy for both parties. I feel like it was really well done an nuanced.

There are three recipes from the show that are written in both UK and American measurements and I cannot wait until summer is over so I can make these!

Alexis Hall has an amazing way of writing realistic characters that are complex, slightly awkward, and wholly loveable. I’m not going to lie, this book was extremely hard for me to get through because Paris’ journey to self discovery and self work was rough, to say the least. It was very challenging to be in his head constantly with no reprieve of a dual pov switchover… but having said that and knowing a lot of folks in my life who have anxiety and take medicine and see therapists… that is kinda the whole point of making Paris the mc. It was brilliantly done even if hard to read. It makes me even more appreciative of the constant work that folks with anxiety have to do. That being said - Tariq and Paris had a lovely, funny, heart-wrenching love story and I so appreciate the messiness that it was. The beauty is in the mess, and their HFN ending was so true to them and such a perfect cherry on top to the hard work they put into themselves and being enough of their true, slightly better selves for each other.

Another masterpiece and I can’t wait for the next season of Bake Expectations!

This was not for me. I appreciate the representation, but I live with anxiety and I definitely don't need to experience the fictional excruciation on top of it. Paris is exhausting. I'm glad he's working on himself but he's got a ways to go. And I don't think the central relationship is gonna make it past grad school.

It's a good story, but not what I'm looking for in a kissing book.

My oh my, do I have some conflicting thoughts about this one.

First of all, I don’t think this book is a romance and I think if I hadn’t gone into it expecting it to give me that, then perhaps my opinions would be different regarding said romance in this book. No, this book is not a romance, this book is about Paris Daillencourt finding himself and healing himself, which I don’t think is a bad thing necessarily - I just wish it would have been marketed as such.

Now, I’ll be honest, I had to skim some of this book. That is simply because being inside Paris’s head for the entire book is absolutely exhausting. And listen, I ALSO have generalized anxiety disorder, so I get it, but reading every single intrusive and worse case scenario thought that crosses Paris’s mind - my god, no wonder I’m tired all the time!
It was one anxiety inducing scene after another with no reprieve! I think cutting out 100 pages of Paris and having another POV (though I know that isn’t Hall’s style) would have really saved this book and given my brain enough of a break between Paris’s spirals so that I had some energy left to give Paris empathy as a reader.

I’ve found that Alexis Hall tends to be rather hit or miss for me as an author. I really enjoy their more campy work, “Something Fabulous” was the perfect combination of outrageously absurd, historically inaccurate, and heartfelt for me - it just worked. Whereas “Boyfriend Material” and its more serious subject matter fell flat. Unfortunately I feel this one fits into the second category for me.

Note: Please check the trigger warnings on this one!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I greatly appreciated that this wasn't in first person - it definitely made the reading experience easier, especially with the way some of the writing was. This fell a bit flat for me overall, there wasn't quite enough of everything - not enough romance, not enough development, etc.

I have reached the end of my attempts with Alexis Hall - I believe their writing is simply not for me but I can see the appeal of this for other readers.

I was laughing out loud throughout the book and really enjoyed it. The first half of the book was harder to get through, and it felt more heavy handed with the points it was trying to make.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

Anyone in the Alexis Hall fan club knows that the writing is going to be superb, the characters are going to be clever and the issues will be tackled head on. This second in the Winner Bakes All series does all this and more. Digging into religion, queer issues, racism, problematic family, found family, mental illness and more, Hall has crafted a fantastic romance meets coming of age story. The romance, while heartwarming and delightful, plays almost second fiddle to Paris’ quest to recognize and live with GAD. Hall’s view into Paris’ mind will feel almost painfully well-articulated to fellow GAD sufferers and the quest to treatment is hilariously accurate. The character arc perfectly straddles that fine line between “mental illness is not your fault” and “managing your mental health is your responsibility.” While this book feels like an entirely different animal to Rosie Palmer Takes the Cake, it makes for a great continuation in what I hope will be an ongoing series.

I think it’s important to have realistic expectations before reading this book. This is marketed as a rom-com, but (similar to Rosaline, the first book in the series,) I’m not sure I would call it that. As stated in the title, Paris Daillencourt is actually, literally, about to crumble. This is written in third person, but the reader closely witnesses Paris’s thoughts as he deals with overwhelming anxiety. PLEASE MIND THE CW! They’re available on the author’s website. When I read the CW, I thought I would be fine because I don’t have personal experience with anxiety disorder or panic attacks, but it was A LOT to bear witness to Paris’s slow path toward crumbling. I wanted to reach into the book and give him a hug, reassure him that he was okay, and encourage him to seek therapy ASAP. Are there funny bits, light moments, banter, and flirting? Yes. But keep in mind they are encircled by the dark cloud of Paris’s anxiety, much like how he experiences life, I imagine.

I also think it’s important to realize this book stretches the boundaries of what gatekeepers would consider a romance. Alexis Hall is always challenging norms with his writing, and I believe he challenges, intentional or otherwise, the norms of what is considered a romance novel with this book. Does romance play a central role? Yes, as seen through the cloud of Paris’s anxiety. Does it have a HFN/HEA? Yes. In a way that is very realistic for these two young men.

I liked this book, and I look forward to re-reading on audio when it’s released. Paris evoked such empathy from me, and I loved getting to see him work through his crumbling and get to the other side. This book subverts norms, of the genre and heteronormativity in general, and does it with such care for the characters and readers. I recommend it for readers who are willing to experience what this book has to offer, without trying to force it to follow cookie cutter conventions.

Note: You do not have to read Rosaline before you read Paris. There are a few returning characters (hosts and staff at the tv show), and there are a few references to things that happened during Rosaline's season on the show, but they do not negatively impact the reader's understanding of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for my unbiased review.

Alexis Hall is such a witty writer. I love his narration and his dialogue. I hope he continues this series for many volumes. The reader feels what it must be like to live inside of the brain of Paris while he is suffering from anxiety. The central romance is very sweet. Once again this story is peppered with side characters who are great fun and deserve their own stories. I can’t wait for more from this author.

Alexis Hall delivers once again with this Great British Bakeoff inspired story. The cover caught my eye right away. Upon seeing the author (I'm a fan of Boyfriend Material), I decided to request it. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be approved, but funny enough the approval came in as I was reading Alexis Hall's newest book Husband Material. I'm so glad it did. This book was such a good read!
The story follows Paris Daillencourt, a young student living in London. He likes to bake, and enjoys watching hit show Bake Expectations, but is too anxious to actually apply to be on it. Paris' flatmate knows this and signs him up to be on the show. Throughout the book, Paris must navigate competing against nine other home bakers, one of which he starts to develop feelings for, while also coming to terms with the fact that his anxiety may be more severe than he believes it to be.
There were so many things that I liked about this book. The first thing was the similarity to the Great British Bakeoff. While the literary show took place in a ballroom instead of a tent and went by a different name, fans will definitely enjoy all the clear references to the real life bakeoff. Pacing was also well done. The author could easily have dragged out the competition storyline so that it took up the entirety of the book, but instead opted to spend a significant amount of time on the personal journey Paris went through afterward. To me, this was an incredibly good decision and one of the things that earned the book such a high rating. It was good to see a main character with flaws needing to do some self-improvement rather than just having everything handed to them by the universe like they do in a lot of books. That said, I felt that at the end of the book Paris did have quite a drastic change that was maybe a little unrealistic for such a short period of time. However, healing journeys look different for everyone.
I agree with those that have pointed out that the romance did not take the centerstage of this book. While there was a romantic subplot, the story was about so much more than looking for love. People looking for a strictly romance based book, this may not be for you but I would still give it a try. Personally, I am a romance fan but something about Paris having to go through his own personal journey really connected with me. I'd definitely recommend that everyone go check out this book. There's something in it for everyone.
Thank you so much Netgalley and Forever Publishing for this arc!

When Paris' roommate signs him up for a baking competition show, he is riddled with anxiety. He is always riddled with anxiety, but the show brings out his particular worst side. But when fellow contestant Tariq bats his eyelashes his way, Paris is really reduced to a puddle. The two struggle their way through their feelings and the show, not sure where they as individuals or a potential couple will end up.

Alexis Hall has a uniquely beautiful and humorous writing style that comes through in every book he writes--this one is no exception. But ultimately, Paris Daillencourt suffers from the same issues as Rosaline Palmer. I could easily copy-and-paste my review from the first book in this series for this one. Ultimately, while everyone love a baking show romance and an inter-competition romance, this one tries to hard to teach the readers a lesson (or multiple) and dives into preachy. It just tries to do too much and is almost too real. If you're looking specifically for anxiety-representation, or a gay Muslim lead, perhaps picking the book up is worth it. But, but if you're a fan of LGBTQ baking show romances, I'd recommend Love & Other Disasters, also from Forever, instead.

Thanks to Forever for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars - 6/10

This is a hard one for me to review - the main character, Paris, has major anxiety, and while it was nice to see representation of generalized anxiety disorder on page, it became quite exhausting and stressful to stay in Paris' mind for the entire book. It reminded me of my own anxiety spirals and I ended up having to put the book down and take plenty of breaks while trying to read it.

I enjoyed the baking show sections quite a bit and honestly they felt like the strongest parts of the book, both the filming sections and the airing of the episodes. I liked the little bits we get to see of Tariq as a character, but he felt less like a fully realized character and more of a prop for Paris' emotional arc.

I will also say, the book overall didn't feel much like a romance, it felt like general contemporary fiction about a man with anxiety, with a romantic subplot. I did get the sense of a HFN ending, but the majority of the book was more focused on Paris working (or not) on himself, rather than the relationship itself.

I’m a person with an anxiety disorder, and I often have trouble reading books about other people with anxiety, but I really enjoyed this book! Paris is a mess of a person, but I appreciated his growth, and Tariq’s alongside him. This was a sweet and often very funny book. Like Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, this book is less about the romance and more about Paris’ personal growth. That being said, the romance is very satisfying and utterly charming. Alexis Hall never disappoints.

I struggled a bit with this one! While I really enjoyed it and LOVED the baking aspect and Tariq, I felt almost a little triggered by Paris? Like so many people in my life and in the service dog training I do are SO like him that it was hard for me to believe he would actually pick himself up. I’m glad he did but I felt like I held him at arms’ length. I know he was not intentionally manipulative of the people in his life, but he presented a lot of red flags for manipulative people.

🍰🍰🍰🍰

title: Paris Daillencourt Is About To Crumble
author: Alexis Hall
pub date: Oct 18, 2022
genre/elements: romance, LGBTQIAP+, comedy
🌟: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🍰🍰🍰🍰

(thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for allowing me to read this ARC in return for a review!)

“Paris Daillencourt is About To Crumble” is the second in Alexis Hall’s “A Winner Bakes All” series! I hadn’t read the first novel, “Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake”, but after reading this one, I absolutely need to so I can be back in this realm. I love the GBBO vibe!!

Pick up if you like:
🧁The Great British Bake Off
😂LOL humor
🏳️‍🌈queer love stories
🤔an unlikeable (and then likeable) protagonist
🧠mental health representation
🌙religious/spiritual representation (Muslim)

It focuses on Paris Daillencourt, a shy young man whose housemate enters him in BAKE EXPECTATIONS - a show very similarly structured to The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show. A brilliant cook and baker, Paris has what it takes to take home the win, but his anxiety tends to get in his way — that, and a beautiful man, Tariq Hassan, who steps into his path when Paris accidentally opens a fridge door in his face on the set of the show.

Giving this one a 4 only because it was a bit of a rocky start for me, personally. Even though I’m clinically diagnosed with OCD and anxiety, I had a hard time empathizing with Paris at the start of the book. However, as the book progressed, I felt like I was truly on the journey with him, and that having him grow on me and make me frustrated because I wanted to keep rooting for him so badly was very likely what Hall was going for!

I also love that Tariq’s faith and beliefs play such a central and beautiful part in this story. The fact that this beautiful Bangladeshi, Muslim, gay man is so confident and unwavering in what he wants and what makes him who he is was so beautiful to read. As a person of faith, who also comes from a Muslim family, it was a breath of fresh air to read Tariq’s explanations of what faith means to him and how it can be healthy and nondestructive to himself and others.

Be sure to pick up this cozy read (and some rainbow cake??) on 10/18! 🍰💛